Mile Jedinak explains exactly what he does as a coach at Tottenham
Mile Jedinak has revealed the specific roles that he and Ryan Mason have been handed and admitted that he has loved his first season at Tottenham Hotspur.
Jedinak joined as the club’s assistant coach last summer, soon after Ange Postecoglou landed the top job. The former Crystal Palace midfielder knows the Tottenham head coach well, having captained the Australian side when he was in charge.
The 39-year-old remarked that he did not think twice when his compatriot called him in the summer about the role, stating that he is learning a lot from working closely with the Spurs head coach.
Jedinak told Optus Sport: “It’s always nice to link up with someone that you’ve got a huge amount of respect for. The boss, when I had him as my manager, he made me captain for the national team and we had a good four years together. Then after that, when you go your separate ways and move on to pastures new we kept in touch.
“When I got the call from him regarding this role it was something that I was only too eager to help out with and I wanted to be a part of. I’m enjoying every single moment, understanding and learning through him and through the other members of staff as well.
“I think for us as a coaching group there are moments where, and I guess it’s down to individuals, people will take what key messages they like to use [from him] and how they deliver messages. There’s a whole lot of that that happens every day and you always take notes, and you’ve obviously got your own way of doing things but it’s always nice to see the way other people operate and use that knowledge for the good of yourself and obviously for the team.”
What does Mile Jedinak do at Tottenham?
Jedinak also explained the specific role that he has in the training ground, revealing that he is in charge of the side’s organisation while defending set-pieces.
The Tottenham head coach also confessed that he has thoroughly enjoyed his time at the club so far and now feels at home at Hotspur Way.
He continued: “I do have a role in the defensive side of [set pieces], which is something I enjoy doing. It’s a big focus in football in general and we’ve got a team of people that work in that, with myself and one of the other coaches who does the attacking set pieces, Ryan Mason, as well as analysts and a whole team of people that get behind that. It’s something that we definitely pride ourselves on, absolutely.
“I’m enjoying it absolutely. I’ve been welcomed into the Tottenham family and it’s been tremendous. I’ve enjoyed being a part of it, helping as much as I can, supporting and I look forward to continuing that journey.”
Jedinak previously coached Aston Villa’s Under-18s side but he admitted that the demands of a first-team coaching role at a club of the size of Tottenham is a lot different than what he is used to.
When asked how this compares to his previous roles, the Aussie responded: “It’s a lot more time on the grass [compared to Villa] which is something I was keen to do again and being around the first team, seeing our young and exciting squad.
“Working with those players has been a real highlight and something that I’m really relishing and enjoying being around, helping to support them and give them the opportunity and platform to produce what they’ve been producing this season.
“When I can get involved I’m always there to help out, whether that’s something they need with my delivery or touches, whatever it may be, that’s your role as a coach and I’m here to support the boys in everything that they do.”
“You come to a big football club and you know where you are from the get-go. You’re here to perform and part of that is learning and understanding and listening and being able to apply some of the knowledge you’ve gained along the way and give that to the lads and staff around you where you can. I’m enjoying every moment of that.”
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By the sounds of it, Postecoglou is not a micro-manager like his predecessor, Antonio Conte, was and allows his coaching staff the autonomy to run the sessions as they see fit after giving them clear inputs on the kind of messages he wants them to relay to the players.
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